Could this new Chinese radar system really be used to play God with the weather?
China is building a system in the South China Sea that can knock out communications systems, but some scientists believe it could have more alarming uses such as causing natural disasters like hurricanes
China is building a powerful radar system in the South China Sea that critics say could knock out communication systems, manipulate the weatherand even cause natural disasters.
The system, which sounds like something out of science fiction, uses pulsed energy beams to study and manipulate electrically charged particles in the high atmosphere.
It has civilian and military applications and could challenge US dominance in both spheres.
The US military has already been working on similar technology, but it has proved controversial with critics warning that it could allow governments to play God by causing disasters such as hurricanes, typhoons and tsunami.
Most scientists have dismissed these warnings as alarmist, however, and questioned whether the technology is really capable of doing this.
But while the American programme – funded by the air force, navy and universities – faces an uncertain future due to budget cuts, China is ready to speed up its own work in this field.